Comments for the name Miley

Yeah, I'm pretty sure it did originate from Miley Cyrus. Sorry. There is no actual history of the name Miley. I think it's a cute nickname, but nothing more than that. As a given name it was made-up, then simply copied from a popular celebrity.

Miley is the nickname of the name "Miles". Seriously. Look it up. The name existed way before Miley Cyrus, didn't necessarily derive from "Smiley", and was generally thought of as a boy's name.

-- Anonymous User 7/4/2008

While Miley may have been used independently of the Hannah Montana star, Miley first entered common usage as a given name in the U.S. in 2007, emerging at 278 on that year's Social Security name list. Alternative spellings Mylee (556) and Mylie (861) also broke the U.S. top 1000 that year.

In "50,001+ Best Baby Names" by Diane Stafford (Sourcebooks, Inc.; Naperville, IL; 2004) the name Miley is considered masculine, is American, means "reliable; forgiving" and is a form of the name MILES.

It does seem to have a few people with this name that pre-date the atrocious singer/actress. I know a young woman in her late teens (older than the Cyrus girl) with the same pronunciation, though her name is spelled 'Maile.' It would be an extremely cute name, had Cyrus not ruined it forever.

Yeah, I know. Miley Cyrus kinda ruined this name. But I assure you, it existed WAY before Miley Cyrus. I get annoyed with all the people saying it originated only from her. They need to update the info on this site.

-- Anonymous User 11/15/2008

Miley is actually a common surname. (Most likely derived from the name "Miles".)

-- Anonymous User 11/15/2008

Can also be a variant of Milly (pronounced MIL-ee) or derived from the surname Miley.

-- Anonymous User 1/19/2009

Can someone PLEASE update the info on this site about the origin of MILEY? It does not only come from Miley Cyrus, but from the surname (as well as nickname), "Miley" which was derived from the name Miles. It's so obvious.

-- Anonymous User 1/26/2009

This name is really cute, but Miley Cyrus totally ruined it! I hate Miley Cyrus, and this name sounds like something teenage mothers who love Hannah Montana would name their daughters.

Miley's name WAS Destiny Hope Cyrus. She legally changed it last year to Miley Ray Cyrus. And while men and boys could be called Miley as a diminutive of Miles, the name has reached its current level of popularity through one person only, Miley Cyrus. It's too bad, really.

-- Anonymous User 4/6/2009

It's a cute name, whatever your opinion of a certain actress who bears it is.

Miley isn't really a good name is my opinion, but is a good nickname. I don't know what for though, LOL.

-- Anonymous User 4/25/2009

I do not believe that Miley Cyrus started this name. I have a cousin named Miley (b. 1986). She was named that through the roots of the name "Miles", and according to my aunt her name was 'Miley Grace' because she wanted her daughter to have a long and graceful life, or something of the like.

This name is cute for a little girl, but Billy Ray Cyrus totally made it up! It's a made up name! Quit copying off celebrities! Maybe as a nickname for a girl named Emily/Emiley or something. If you name your daughter this than Billy Ray's ACHEY BREAKY HEART made your daughter's name up.

Technically, this didn't come from Miley Cyrus. I know a 19-year-old named Miley and Miley Cyrus is only 16, so he -yes, HE- had it before she did. But, I've never heard it on any other girl besides Miley.

I like it, I think it's a cute name. Although maybe it would be better to wait a few decades to bring the name out, because you just know everyone's gonna be like, "Oh, as in Miley Cyrus?" and that's gonna drive girls with the name nuts. However, I have seen Miley as a last name on TV show credits.

I actually like this name a lot, even though I'm not a Miley Cyrus fan. I don't have anything against her really, but I wouldn't want people to think I named my child after her either. But seeing as how I won't be having kids for a while, maybe the whole Miley Cyrus thing will die down by the time I have a girl, and then I can use this name. I just wish I could find another name other than Emily that this could be a nickname for!

Miley is a name that was around before Miley Cyrus, but it was very rare and uncommon. Looking at the popularity charts, it's almost a fact saying that the fame of Miley Cyrus did lead people to consider the name when naming their children.

Sure, your cousin's best friend's sister's Aunt may have been named Miley back in the winter of '42 after old Great Grandpa Miles, but the fact remains that this name was relatively rare prior to the fame of Miley Cyrus. The popularity of the name today is attributed to the wealthy American teenager Miley Cyrus and there is no escaping that.

I have loved the sound of this name since I first heard of it (which was, yes, when Hannah Montana aired!) I would never name a child something just because a celebrity was named that. I really do like this name. It sounds so beautiful.

Oh, come on! The Miley Cyrus parade isn't going to die down in an painfully long time, and even when it does, this'll still be a trashy trailer park Hannah Montana-lover name. Plus, it's bad enough on a girl, why name a boy this and curse him with much more relentless teasing?

I wouldn’t name a child this. I’m sorry. I don’t care how happy a child is, I just can’t name them Miley! No offense to Miley Cyrus, and Billy Ray, I love Miley’s music and her show, but I can’t name a child this!

It looks like there are really people thinking that Billy Ray named his daughter Miley, with the thought that some day other girls were named after her. Nevertheless, I like the name, but only for a girl. And it's not a trashy name!

I think this name might have started as a Hawaiian name: Maili (not 100% sure on the spelling). All I know is Miley isn't the first bearer. I think it's a fine option as it fits in with Riley and Kiley which are quite common names.I like it!

Okay 1st off my 2 year old daughters name is MILEY & no I had never heard of this name personally other than of course Miley Cyrus. Do I like Miley Cyrus? I don't hate her. Am I a fan of Miley Cyrus? I don't think so. I just liked her name as well as any other normal human would when hearing other names from different people, you either like it or you don't & when you have your own kids obviously you name them whatever you want to name them. I chose Miley because I liked the way it sounds and for all you people out there who seem to compare the name to nobody but Miley Cyrus and hate her guts go get a life poor little girl what did she do so you can hate her so much, just sayin.

-- Anonymous User 8/22/2011

Nobody said they hated Miley Cyrus's guts. The point is, Miley is a name that comes from a nickname. I am not sure parents were aware of this when they named their daughters Miley, as it does sound like Kylie and Miles and the like. I think this name works best as a nickname for Michelle or Michaela, as it's a bit too cute for a lifelong name.

Granted, this name was popularised by American actress and singer Miley Cyrus. However, it does not originate from her (the particular meaning provided in the database does, but not the name's spelling and look). There is a difference between originating and popularising.

As a first name, this name existed well before Miley Cyrus came to fame (as other users have already stated in their comments). It was not often used before her, no - mostly as a nickname for names like Miles.

But for some bearers, the name was not even a nickname for their official first name: it was their official first name, most likely derived from the surname Miley (entirely in agreement with the "surnames for first names"-fashion in English-speaking countries). Yes, Miley is actually a legitimate surname: according to the Most Common Surnames feature at Behind The Surname (http://surname.behindthename.com), the surname Miley ranked 4,926 out of 88,799 in the USA. That makes it a fairly common surname in my book, and thus, it is certainly conceiveable to think that it got sufficient exposure for some parents to like the surname and give it to their child as a first name.

The surname is ultimately an anglicised form of a Gaelic surname, most likely Ó Maol Aodha, which means "descendent of a follower of Saint Aodh", derived from Gaelic 'ó' "son of, descendent of", Gaelic 'maol' "follower, servant" and the personal name Aodh. However, the surname can also possibly be derived from Ó Máille ("descendent of a nobleman") or Ó Maolmhuaidh ("descendent of Maolmhuadh"). A known bearer of the surname is James "Bubber" Miley (1903-1932), an American jazz musician.

As such, I think it is a good idea to amend the entry for Miley to include its use as a nickname for names like Miles, as well as it being a surname used as a first name in some cases. The current entry seems to imply that the name originated from Miley Cyrus only and that its meaning thus comes from her particular story, and that is wrongly so. Acknowledging that there are multiple sources and meanings for this name will do the name the most justice. [noted -ed]

To add to my previous comment: according to SSA records, there were 5 Mileys born in 1980 in the USA, and less than 5 Mileys in 1990. Clearly, that proves that - although rare - Miley was around as a first name *before* Miley Cyrus, since Cyrus was born in November 1992.

So, clearly, the meaning of those people's name certainly did not derive from 'smiley' - the derivation from 'smiley' is unique to Cyrus *only*, and since she didn't even exist in 1980 and 1990, the meaning for those born in 1980 and 1990 can only come from the nickname for Miles (or even Milena) *or* from the surname Miley.

Ok, people, really? Some flash in the pan teen "singer/actress" has this as a nickname and suddenly it becomes a popular baby name? The Miley Cyrus connection is very, very negative, and once she becomes obscure, which will happen, your daughter will be stuck with this cutesy, infantile name. Name your daughter a similar-sounding but better name, like Kylie.

Miley is a terrible white trash name. Plus it's associated with the trashy Miley Cyrus, which makes it worse. Why would you want to name your kid after Miley Cyrus? She's not exactly a great namesake or even talented.

Uh! So many of todays popular, trendy names have a 'lee' ending. Really, most adults don't care for Miley Cyrus so why are they going about, naming their kids this! I'm shocked that's its on the top 1000! Can you imagine a person named Miley in a rocking chair, knitting? Miley is a name that would look terrible on someone older then 9 or 10. Its more of a pet name or childhood nickname.

-- Anonymous User 6/23/2013

After that disgusting performance... I refuse to consider this a good name anymore. It is tarnished and thankful that I will not name my child with this name.

-- Anonymous User 8/28/2013

My sister has a friend who is named Myleigh, and she was born in 2002, long before Miley Cyrus was even famous. So I can confirm that there were cases of this name before Miley Cyrus popped up into the public eye.

I know someone with the surname Miley so it is definitely not some made up name derived from Miley Cyrus.

-- Anonymous User 4/17/2014

As has been said previously, Miley is an anglicised version of a common Irish surname and has frequently been used as a given name.

There are records of several males registered with the given name 'Miley' in the Irish census as early as 1901.

I know several men in their 20/30/40's with the given name Miley. I have always associated it as being a masculine name.

It is still in use today, though previous to the appearance of Miley Cyrus, it had fallen out of fashion probably due to becoming synonymous with 'old farmer men' as it was the nickname of a character in a popular TV show (Mick Lally, or "Miley" from Glenroe).